Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Toyota Rav4

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Forester are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Rav4.

Both the Forester and the Rav4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Toyota Rav4:

	Forester	Rav4
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	29.3%
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	56 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	248/368 lbs.	400/388 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	31%	37.4%
Neck Stress	213 lbs.	258 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	340/190 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Toyota Rav4:

	Forester	Rav4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	83
Abdominal Force	122 lbs.	138 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	299
Hip Force	673 lbs.	835 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 12 points higher than the Rav4.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Forester is faster than the Toyota Rav4:

	Forester	Rav4
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	8.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	16.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86.2 MPH	83.8 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Rav4:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
Rav4
	AWD	Adventure/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		TRD Off-Road 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy

The Forester has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 (16.6 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Forester higher (7 out of 10) than the Toyota Rav4 (6). This means the Forester produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rav4 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Forester has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Forester’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4:

	Forester	Rav4
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11.1 inches

The Forester stops much shorter than the Rav4:

	Forester	Rav4
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	168 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Forester’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires.

The Forester Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Rav4; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Touring handles at .83 G’s, while the Rav4 Limited 4WD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forester Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Rav4 Limited (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Rav4 LE/XLE’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Passenger Space

The Forester has 12.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 (111.6 vs. 98.9).

The Forester has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom, 5.9 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Rav4.

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Rav4 with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 69.8 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Rav4. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Forester Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Rav4 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s exterior PIN entry system. The Rav4 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Safety Connect™ can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Forester’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Forester’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Forester has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Rav4 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Forester Touring is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Rav4’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Forester’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rav4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Forester with a number “1” insurance rate while the Rav4 is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the Rav4 because typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the Rav4, including $22 less for front brake pads, $132 less for a fuel pump, $464 less for a timing belt/chain and $101 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Subaru Forester Touring higher than the Toyota Rav4 Adventure.